Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) staged a massive protest yesterday in Abuja to draw the attention of the Federal Government to alleged plot by some politicians to nail Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele for trump-up terrorism allegation.
The protesters described those behind the plot as enemies of the country who were against the naira reforms introduced by the CBN governor.
They noted that corrupt politicians were trying to frustrate the apex bank’s policies by using agents of the Department of State Services (DSS) to harass Emefiele.
The CSOs, under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Group and Youth Coalition (CCSGYG), staged the protest opposite the headquarters of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
They urged the DSS not to allow itself to be used by “corrupt and overzealous politicians” to harass Emefiele and arrest the CBN governor on trump-up charges.
The protest, which lasted several hours, disrupted vehicular movement around the NTA headquarters and other adjoining roads.
The coalition, led by its President, Bassey Etuk Williams, and Secretary, Abubakar Ibrahim, insisted that the apex bank’s governor is not a terrorist, as alleged.
Williams said: “Our attention was once again drawn to the recent motion ex parte brought before a Federal High Court in Abuja by men of DSS wherein they sought relief to arrest and detain the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, based on trump-up charges of financing terrorism, economic crime and crime of national security.
“This motion was surprisingly done without concrete evidence to prove the frivolous allegations against the workaholic CBN governor that the country can’t forget easily based on his several positive impactful economic and monetary policies approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for implementation.
“We are surprised to note the division that exists among top government officials of this regime. While the CBN governor was in the faraway United States of America (U.S.A) on the entourage of President Buhari, another arm is seeking his arrest back home on trump-up charges without the consent of the President.
“The question that begs for an answer is: who gave such a directive? Is Mr. President aware of this allegation before moving in to effect arrest via a court order? On whose interest is the DSS really working?”
The coalition recalled frantic moves by some politicians, including a House of Representatives member, to drag Emefiele’s name through the mire since the CBN governor started the naira reforms, among other issues.
It warned the DSS against joining desperate politicians to rubbish the CBN monetary policies that President Buhari had approved.
The CSOs passed a vote of confidence in the CBN governor for introducing the new cash withdrawal policy, among others.
Also, Emefiele told the House of Representatives yesterday that he would not be able to appear before it today due to a health challenge.
He was to brief the lawmakers on the new cash withdrawal limit and the redesigned naira notes.
The CBN governor also said he was still in the United States for an official engagement, and would not be able to appear before the House on December 15.
The House resolved to re-invite the CBN governor to appear to brief the House unfailingly by 10 a.m today.
But during plenary yesterday, Gbajabiamila read a letter from the CBN governor that he would delegate the responsibility to a deputy.
Reading the CBN letter, Gbajabiamila said: “We refer to your letter of December 20, 2022 on the above subjects, inviting the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to appear in person before the House on Thursday, December 22…”
